Childhood Obesity!!

This season on Biggest Loser, they attacked the subject of childhood obesity. I was once one of those people that looked at obese kids and thought how awful it was that those parents allowed their children to get big at such a young age. After all, my daughter had always been of normal weight and fairly active, until now. My husband had taken her to her yearly well check and came home with news that floored me. The doctor had informed him that our daughter had gained 20 lbs in one year. It was a little hard for me to swallow, I am still trying to get over the initial shock, but I know that I need to make some serious changes here at home.
I feel like the worst parent in the world. How did I let it get this out of control? Twenty pounds in one year for anyone is a significant weight gain let alone for a 10 year old girl. I know that some of you might tell me that I shouldn't beat myself up and that I'm not a bad mom. I want to first thank you for your loving and kind words. Now I am going to give you a little dose of reality. Who is her example? Me. Who bought the food and brought it into the house and made it available? Me. Who sends her to school everyday to eat pizza, corn dogs, burgers, and other junk food items? Me. Who lets her sit in front of the TV and Computer for hours because it's convenient when I have things to get done? Me. Ok so maybe I'm not the WORST parent, but I still can't help but feel responsible for what we're facing.
I know that I can make the necessary changes that need to be made to reverse this. She's too young to go on a diet and lose weight, so what then? Mom needs to make some serious life changes in the home. Mom needs to put her foot down and stand her ground when it comes to the health of her children. Because my biggest challenge will be getting the rest of the family on board with these changes.

I AM READY TO TEACH MY CHILDREN BETTER HABITS!!!

ZUMBA!!!

Here are a few of my favorite Zumba memes and pics from classes.

LOL

Zumba instructor Alena who came out from SF to teach a Master Class here in Idaho. 

This sign is posted in the studio where I take class.

This is my girl Ashley right here. Best Zumba instructor EVER!!!

Party In Pink!! A cause very dear to my heart since both my Mom and Grandma have both been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and have survived it. 

The Blame Game!!!

How do you let every day life get in the way of your goals? It's simple; blaming others. I am the Queen of excuses. I couldn't go to the gym because I had to take my Mother or Grandmother somewhere. My husband's work schedule only allows me to go to workout at certain times on certain days. Sometimes it had to do with one or more of my four kids. And then there's the usual suspects; "I'm too tired," "as long as I go tomorrow it's OK " "I woke up late". There is always that someone or something that we use as an excuse that keeps us from our goals. 

Well guess what sweet heart? The only person you have to blame for not going to the gym, or skipping out on Zumba, is Y-O-U - YOU! Things happen that often times are beyond our control. I get that. But how you deal with those things is entirely up to you. 

Now go out there and make it happen!!!

I am back!

It's been a while since my last blog. My last laptop crashed and I was without a good running computer for quite some time. But now I have a new computer, thanks to our very very large tax return, and I am ready to continue my battle of the bulge right here with you, my 4 followers :). I really need to expand and get more people to read this. Help Me!
Ok so I had to vent to someone about my morning. That's why I am back here. 990 Calories consumed at breakfast and only 115 calories left in my budget. How did that happen? Lack of self control. I let my hunger win over my will.  Now for the next question? How do I prevent this from happening again? Do I have the tools to keep it from happening again? And if not, how to obtain the tools I need to succeed the next time I'm faced with this challenge? We all know that finding the answers to these questions are easy, but actually applying them is a whole other ball game.
Maybe I won't get in enough exercise to recover from my 990 calorie fast food splurge, but I can at least try. And if anything else, Tomorrow is a brand new day and a chance at a Do-Over!
Thank You for Listening!
Gabby

On the way to a size 6 ....

I'm down one pant size so far. I am so very happy that I am on my way. I just need to keep my hand out of the cookie jar and my eyes on the prize. Kickboxing on Tuesdays, Zumba Toning on Thursdays, Regular Zumba on Fridays, and in the gym using the weights and equipment in between. If I keep that up each week, then I am a rock star. And I will look like one come next year if I am able to attend my 20 year HS reunion. Has it seriously been that long already? Ouch!

Friends say the darnsest things!

Wow, it has been a long time since my last entry. Not much to say I guess. I had gained some pounds back and didn't really feel much like blogging. But this week I am feeling recharged. I lost close to 4 pounds and it's not the end of the week yet. So granted that I stay on track for 2 more days, I might hit the big 5.
So what was the gravitational pull that lifted me up off the couch, away from my computer, and kept me from sleeping most of the day? A Good Friend!!!!!! A Facebook message, really. Asking me if I still go work out at the Y. This was a friend that I had not seen in almost 2 years. We agreed to go work out on a Tuesday afternoon. I couldn't believe how amazing she looked. So there we were on the treadmill just shooting the breeze, catching up on old times, gossiping about former co-workers when all of a sudden, 90 minutes had passed and I had almost forgotten that I was working out.  She even got me to run a little. I discovered how out of shape I am. It was at this time that this dear friend said something to me that made me realize that I needed to fully commit to making a change in my life. She told me that I had inspired her to lose weight weight and get healthy. Because 2 years ago I had lost 20+ pounds before my wedding day. It feels good to be an inspiration to someone else. It is giving me the fire to go back to that person I was. I just don't want to let her down. But most of all, I don't want to let myself down.
Tuesday afternoons is a Kickboxing class and I have made a commitment to go with her each week. The rest of the week is up to me to get up and go work out.

This photo was taken at my daughter's baptism. I was so disgusted with how I look here. It was a great day and a wonderful happy moment in my daughter's life. But it was a HUGE (no pun intended) wake up call for me.

My Pants still fit!

I haven't really lost a lot in pounds, but I'm sure I've shrunk in inches. I know this because I have a pair of pants that are falling off my behind. This surprises me because I ate nothing but crap this past weekend. I went to Utah to help my husband pack. Since a lot of the kitchen was already packed, cooking was out of the question. We ended up heating pizzas in the oven and eating take out a lot. My husband and I were not together for Valentine's Day this year because he is still in Utah working. So we went out to dinner Saturday night to my favorite place, Wingers. OMG! They have the most delicious wings I have ever tasted. Their Amazing Sauce is ... well .... Amazing! Then day two, Sunday, we promised our son Jason that who ever helps us with the packing and dumping will be treated to pizza or whatever. So we sent Jeff to get Taco Bell. And yes I could have ordered something off the fresco menu, but did I? No! (Slap my hand for that). Day Three (Monday) , departure day back to Idaho. It was Panda Express for lunch before we left Utah. Then when we got into Pocatello, hunger set in again and it was a grilled sourdough burger from Jack n the Box.
So how is it that I managed to go down a pant size and stay that way after a weekend of gluttony? Maybe it was the hard work of sorting, packing, and dumping.